Published 2025-11-10
Keywords
- Translanguaging, English Medium Instruction (EMI), Saudi Arabia, multilingual pedagogy, student–instructor comparison, bilingual education
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
As English Medium Instruction (EMI) expands across Saudi higher education, questions of linguistic equity and pedagogical inclusion have become increasingly central to TESOL research. This study investigates translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy that enables instructors and students to draw on Arabic and English to enhance comprehension, reduce affective barriers, and promote classroom participation. Grounded in sociocultural and
critical translanguaging theory (García and Kleyn 2016; Sah and Kubota 2022), the study conceptualizes translanguaging not merely as a linguistic support mechanism but as a socially just practice that challenges English-only ideologies in EMI. Data were collected through a 25-item quantitative survey administered to 522 students and 122 instructors from two public universities in Saudi Arabia. The instrument captured perceptions across cognitive, emotional, and instructional dimensions. Results revealed strong endorsement of translanguaging, with instructors showing significantly higher support for its pedagogical and ideological functions. Students likewise recognized its role in comprehension and engagement, but expressed ambivalence regarding its effect on English acquisition. By providing large-scale empirical evidence from the Gulf context, this study contributes to TESOL literature largely informed by small-scale qualitative research. It underscores the need for context-sensitive EMI frameworks that legitimize multilingual practices and empower teachers as agents of linguistic inclusion, advancing TESOL’s ongoing shift toward equity-oriented, multilingual pedagogies in global higher education.